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On October 1, we were able to send $398.10 to the Villalobos Rescue Center in Louisiana. You may have heard of them from their TV show, Pit Bulls and Parolees, which features the incredibly tough rescue work they do. At any given time, they have about 150 pit bulls in their care, a figure that ends up costing the center about $1000/day! Pit bulls are currently the #1 most euthanized “breed” of dogs in shelters, so they need all the help they can get. Below are a few of the thousands of dogs lucky enough to be saved by Villalobos! If you’d like to learn more or donate, visit their website here.

This summer, we hosted an extra long (6 weeks) fundraiser for the new Pet Adoption Center of Orange County. By the end of August, we were able to donate a total of $2554.40 to this incredible project! For years, we’ve seen and heard stories about the Orange County animal shelter. It’s underfunded, outdated, and often completely full. Despite efforts from all the local independent rescue groups, too many animals are still dying there.

An example of the Orange County animal shelter’s rust-eaten outdoor kennels.

Fortunately, many of these animals will now have a second chance at life through the Pet Adoption Center of OC! This new consumer-friendly building will house animals that have been taken from the OC shelter and give them a much better chance of finding a forever home. Many people are understandably afraid to visit the OC shelter (I’ve been three times and each visit breaks my heart), but this new center will be quite the opposite! Visitors and potential adopters will love meeting these pets in a comfortable environment run by compassionate animal advocates.

An example of the suite style you may find at the Pet Adoption Center of Orange County (actual photo taken from Jet Pet Resort)

The building is still undergoing remodeling to get ready for its furry residents, but you can keep up with the organization’s progress on their Facebook page here!

Hello! Unfortunately I’ve majorly dropped the ball on reporting about our recent fundraisers. If you’re someone who frequently checks in to see where your donations (or the donations generated by your purchases from The Tree Kisser) are going, that must be frustrating! In an attempt to catch up, here’s a brief summary of our impact over the past few months:

Animal Rescue Corps

On March 4, 2015, we were able to donate $863.00 to our friends at Animal Rescue Corps (ARC), an organization we’ve supported in the past. At the time, they were still working to cover the cost of Operation New Day, a rescue mission during which they saved 54 animals from a horrific hoarding situation in Kentucky. Below are a few images from that incredible rescue (video here). Following the rescue, all animals are sent to approved ARC placement partners to be loved and fostered until they find forever homes.

Rancho Relaxo

On April 2, we were able to send $987.30 to support Rancho Relaxo, an independent animal sanctuary in New Jersey. The couple that runs this organization is such an inspiration to all animal rescuers and advocates. They take in as many farmed animals as they can accommodate, and they foster rescue dogs on the property as well. Below are the faces of some of their incredibly fortunate residents! It’s so hard to pick a few to share, I definitely encourage you to check out their Facebook and Instagram pages for giggles!

Fix Long Beach

On May 4, we were able to donate $925.00 to Fix Long Beach, an organization that provides FREE spay/neuter (as well as low cost vaccines) to low income residents of Long Beach, CA. I am a big supporter and admirer of independent rescues that save companion animals from over-crowded, high-kill shelters. However, even though what these organizations do is incredibly valuable, I sadly know their work will never be done if spay/neuter is not more widely encouraged and available. Many dog and cat guardians simply don’t understand how overpopulated our shelters are, and even if they do, the expense of a surgery is often not something they can afford. Fix Long Beach has already made a visible dent (shelter kill rates are down, though still not down enough!) in the area, which is a huge accomplishment. The more donations they receive, the more animals they can fix, and the more kittens and puppies will not be born into a world where we can’t even accommodate the ones we already have. Below are a couple shots from their spay/neuter events!

St. Martin’s Animal Rescue

On June 2, we were able to send $389 to our friends at St. Martin’s Animal Rescue. This non-profit is run entirely by one tireless, dedicated, phenomenal woman, Susan Brugato. She operates primarily out of her home, taking in sick and elderly pets who, without her intervention, likely wouldn’t survive the shelter system. She takes the tough cases, the ones many other rescues are afraid to take on. Below are some lucky dogs who owe their lives to Susan.

Stray Cat Alliance

On July 16, we were able to donate $1012.00 to Stray Cat Alliance, an organization that works all angles to help unwanted and unloved cats across the country. Society certainly treats cats with much less respect than dogs, which results in higher shelter kill rates for forgotten felines. Between their adoption programs, their spay/neuter support, and their TNR (trap, neuter, return) advocacy and community assistance, Stray Cat Alliance works to reduce shelter killing and protect the lives of stray and feral outdoor cats. Below is a before/after of Grace, just one of thousands of cats saved and healed by these heroes!

On February 5, 2015, we were able to donate $729.35 to the PreetiRang Santuary, a farmed animal rescue in Northern California. PreetiRang Sanctuary is run by a husband and wife team of former Silicon Valley professionals who, in recent years, have dedicated their lives to caring for unwanted and unloved farmed animals.

Through their rescue stories and sanctuary tours, the team at PreetiRang works to inspire their supporters and visitors to transition to a cruelty-free, vegan lifestyle. By allowing people to bond with the sanctuary’s animals, they enable those who otherwise may never meet farmed animals to get to know the beings most commonly raised and killed for food.

Today we donated $1061.80 to ColoRADogs, a Colorado rescue group focused primarily (but not exclusively) on pit bull type dogs. Colorado is unfortunately known for being pretty inhospitable to pit bulls, with breed bans starting to pop up in more and more cities. In addition to rescuing and rehabilitating these misunderstood dogs, ColoRADogs also actively campaigns against the discriminatory BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) that has condemned so many sweet, healthy dogs to death. They are also currently raising funds to purchase a trailer, which will be used to distribute food and other necessary pet care items to homeless, financially struggling, or otherwise disadvantaged animal caretakers. This small but strong group of committed advocates is making a huge difference in the lives of not only the dogs in their care, but also in the lives of all humans and dogs that benefit from their outreach and compassion.

Below are the faces of some of the exceptionally lucky dogs they’ve rescued! You can learn more about this organization (and apply to adopt one of their beautiful pups!) at http://www.coloradogs.org.

In July, we donated $555.69 to Last Chance for Animals, a multi-faced, international animal protection and rescue organization. It’s tough to sum up what this incredible organization does, because they are constantly working on so many projects! From investigating puppy mills to organizing fur protests to informing the public about animal testing to campaigning for the release of elephants in captivity to providing emergency care for animals impacted by natural disasters, it’s safe to say this team has had their hands in just about every issue facing non-human animals! For the past 30 years, LCA has been steadfastly committed to direct action, exposing the truth behind cruelty-laden industries, and uncompromising compassion.

Below are some images from a small sampling of their recent campaigns. I encourage you to learn more about their work at http://www.lcanimal.org!

This past June, we were able to contribute to the fundraiser for Esther The Wonder Pig’s Farm Animal Sanctuary! If you’re unfamiliar with Esther’s story, I fully encourage you follow her adventures on Facebook and Instagram.

Esther was adopted by her human Dads, Steve and Derek, in 2012. At the time, they were told she was a “micro pig” and would stay tiny. As months went by, it became very clear that Esther was on her way to becoming a full grown, 600 lb pig! Through photos and videos shared by Steve and Derek, Esther’s online popularity grew rapidly. This year, inspired by the world’s love and compassion for Esther (which started inspiring her “fans” to make big changes in their diets), her Dads decided to open a farmed animal sanctuary near Ontario. This sanctuary will become a permanent, loving home for farmed animals that have been abandoned, abused, or neglected. Thanks to a fantastic month of sales in The Tree Kisser shop, we were able to donate $1,060.54 to this project!! I can’t wait to see this sanctuary become a reality over the next year.